A recent veterinary usage study identifies bold web presence, internet-oriented business as one of the keys to boosting visits to your veterinary practice. How does this affect your practice? What else can you do to bring in and retain clients?

Bayer HealthCare Animal Health recently released a study where researchers examined the factors behind a decline in the frequency of pet owners bringing their pets to a veterinary clinic to treat ailments and conduct routine checkups. The study identified six factors responsible for the decline in visits:

Economic downturn – pet owners simply have less to spend on veterinary services

Fragmentation of veterinary services – there are now more vets in more type of practices

Internet information – pet owners trying to solve pet health issues with Google aka “Dr. Google”

Pet owners don’t understand need – why should my pet’s exams be annual, and not biannual?

“Feline resistance” – transporting cats to the vet can be a hassle

“Sticker Shock” – many pet owners turned away by price, cost is usually much higher than anticipated

The study recommends that veterinary practices aim to be as “internet oriented” as possible, citing a robust website as key to drawing in and retaining clientele. This necessity for an internet-savvy clinic stems from the findings within in the study, which concluded that most pet owners use the Internet in some capacity. More than just the website, maintaining an online presence also extends to social media services such as Facebook, and Twitter.

While you can’t control the economic downturn, the good news is that you can ensure that your website is providing your practice with the web presence needed to reach out to current and prospective clients. To see if your website is meeting the needs of your clients, ask yourself Beyond Indigo’s 10 questions to ask about your veterinary website.

To download a PDF of the full Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study please click here.